Things to do in Winter

I have waited all winter to write about some fun things to do in winter. It isn't all cold and boring, there are a lot of things to do. The best part of all is these things are inexpensive and often free.

One tradition at my house, usually during the first snow fall, is snow candy for dessert. It is really easy to do, and can satisfy the sweet tooth and make your Dentist cringe. The first step is to fill a pan with fresh fallen snow. Obviously the fresh fallen snow has not had time to get dirty or peed on by wandering animals.



All you have to do is boil brown sugar and butter. Then you pour it on the snow and the snow cools it down and it hardens like a piece of candy.

It is hard to pick a favourite outdoor activity during winter. One that isn't on my list due to a lack of experience doing it (as well as living in a relatively flat area) is skiing and snowboarding. The closest thing to it that I do is tobogganing, which is a ton of fun. All you need is warm clothing, snow pants and a sense of adventure. Having a sled also helps. I prefer what we call crazy carpets, basically just a thin sheet of plastic that rolls up like a poster does. There are a lot of others available, but if you are really hard up in University we used to borrow the lunch trays and use them, they worked fine.

There are also a lot of outdoor rinks, all you need is to once again dress warm and a pair of skates. From traveling, I know that having your own pair of skates may sound like a lot, but I would dare to say that most Canadians have their own pair, or had their own pair at some point. In my parents basement right now there are no fewer than 10 pairs of skates. It wouldn't be too hard to find a pair that fits you if you ask the right person.

There are also more juvenile things that are equally as fun and free. They can be done anywhere there is snow. They include snowball fights, building snowmen and building a snow fort. The outdoors in winter time is entertainment in itself for a lot of children.